Olives

The olive (Olea europea) is the fruit of a Mediterranean tree that has been cultivated since the dawn of history. The olive tree grows to a great age; the trees in the Garden of Gethsemane, on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, are reputed to be two thousand years old. The ripe fruits are more or less oval and are green at first, later turning black. In their natural state they are extremely bitter because they contain the glucoside oleuropin. Olives are eaten in both the green and black states and are highly nutritious, but they must first be processed to eliminate the bitterness. This involves steeping the olives in a water solution containing a strong alkali, usually lye or wood ash.